Project Team and Partners
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW INSTITUTE:
Cynthia R. Harris, Staff Attorney; Director of Tribal Programs; Deputy Director of the Center for State, Tribal, and Local Environmental Programs. Cynthia joined ELI’s Research & Policy team as a staff attorney in November 2016. Cynthia’s background prior to ELI includes several years working in San Diego local government, where she advised on water, wastewater, and infrastructure policy—spearheading the City Council’s successful development of California’s toughest requirement mandating water submetering as a proven water conservation feature in multi-family developments—and served as community liaison to some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods. Cynthia holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she clerked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of General Counsel, engaged in clinical studies with the Natural Resources Defense Council, and served on the NYU Law Review. She received her B.A. in Communication from the University of California, San Diego, graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Greta Swanson, Visting Attorney. [BIO]
Rebecca Ramirez, Public Interest Law Fellow. Rebecca joined ELI as the Public Interest and Environmental Law Fellow in September 2021. Prior to joining ELI, Rebecca held law clerk and externship positions with the General Counsel of the Oceans and Coasts Section at NOAA, Earthjustice, and the Human Rights Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law. She received her J.D. with a concentration in Environmental Law from the University of Miami School of law, graduating cum laude. At Miami Law, Rebecca was an Associate Editor for the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review and a Teaching Assistant for Professor Daniel Suman’s Coastal Law and Policy course. She received her M.P.S. in Marine Ecosystems and Society from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, earning an Award of Academic Merit. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin.
Margaret Badding, Research Associate. Margaret joined the Environmental Law Institute as a Research Associate in August 2021. Margaret is currently assisting with ELI’s Food Waste Initiative and ELI’s China Program, which seeks to improve environmental policy and regulation in China. Before joining ELI as a Research Associate, Margaret researched politics surrounding renewable energy and transmission construction in New York state as well as analyzed GHG inventory reports and climate change policies of major global cities. Margaret grew up in upstate New York and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Philosophy Politics & Economics (PPE) and Psychology, with a minor in Environmental Studies.
SWINOMISH INDIAN TRIBAL COMMUNITY:
Larry Campbell, Community Health Specialist. [BIO]
Jamie Donatuto, Community Environmental Health Analyst. Dr. Donatuto is a Community Environmental Health Analyst for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. For 17 years, Jamie has been enacting investigations on behalf of the Tribe, including researching toxics in local traditional foods, tribal health - related impacts from climate change, launching an environmental health education program, and developing community - based indigenous health indicators. The Indigenous Health Indicators project is a collaborative effort with long - time colleague Swinomish elder, Larry Campbell. Jamie and Larry most recently launched the Swinomish Community Environmental Health Program and they work extensively with community education and outreach projects. Dr. Donatuto completed her doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, in the interdisciplinary graduate program of Resource Management and Environmental Studies.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICERS (NATHPO):
Valerie J. Grussing, Executive Director. As Executive Director of NATHPO, Valerie is committed to protecting culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance through support, guidance, and advocacy of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. She is passionate about advocating for and elevating Native interests and voices in protecting and revitalizing Native cultures and places. Valerie is honored to be part of an ongoing paradigm shift in how agencies and industry work with indigenous groups by ensuring that staff and leadership are knowledgeable about principles of sovereignty, self-determination, and proactive engagement and relationship building. Valerie holds a BA in History from North Carolina State University, an MA in Anthropology from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in Coastal Resources Management from East Carolina University.
Julie Nelson, Communications and Programming Director. Julie Nelson is a strategic marketing & communications consultant and coach dedicated to her clients' organizational growth. Her holistic approach identifies client goals, then develops the step-by-step strategy to achieve them - all supported by coaching techniques that equal powerful results. Through her work, Julie is dedicated to empowering positively-minded organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, in doing the most possible good. While working as part of the NATHPO team, notable projects to date include, rebranding the organization's look and communication style to create a sense of community, creating the framework for and helping to organize NATHPO's virtual conference and Sacred Sites Summit, as well as working with agency and private fund sources to secure major project and operational funding.
Melissa Madrigal, NATHPO Director of Operations. Melissa Madrigal is a consultant working with NATHPO on reporting, development, and member management. She is committed to bridging the gap between protecting cultural & Native resources and emergency/hazardous response. Her background is in terrestrial & maritime archaeology, oil spill response & environmental planning, and regulatory compliance with a focus on cultural resource protection. Melissa is highly invested in helping foster communication between groups and has focused on developing the NATHPO contact database, member management platform, and website. Melissa is continually grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this organization. Melissa holds a BS in Anthropology and a BS in Psychology from University of Houston, and ABD Coastal Resources Management PhD from East Carolina University.
Environmental Law Institute Research & Publications Interns:
Nina Jeffries is a senior studying Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in economics at the University of Maryland, College Park. On campus, she is the Director of Sustainability for the Student Government Association and the Secretary of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences. Nina has interned at Our Children's Trust, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Justice. Nina plans to attend law school to study some mix of environmental, agricultural, energy, and natural resources law.
Lily Byrne is a senior at the University of Maryland majoring in Economics and Arabic and minoring in Sustainability Studies. Lily has been assisting with several projects during her tenure at ELI, including historical research into the relationship between the state of California and Native American Tribes, the BRIGHT Guide, and working on social media for ELI’s Innovation Lab. Following graduation in the spring, Lily plans to take a gap year before attending law school and concentrate on energy and environmental policy.
Annalisse Eclipse is a senior at Cornell University majoring in Environment & Sustainability, with a concentration in Policy & Governance and a minor in Climate Change. Annalisse grew up in southern California and is passionate about the intersection of environmental justice and policy. As part of the Cornell in Washington Program, Annalisse worked as a Research & Publications Intern at ELI in Fall 2021. During her time at ELI, Annalisse assisted the RWJF Tribe-State consultation project with preliminary research and organizing.